Rules

Early the next morning, barely at first light, the shrill ringing of a phone forcibly dragged Xing Yao out of his dreams.

He fumbled groggily for his phone, too lazy even to lift his eyelids, his voice thick with sleep-deprived irritation. "Hello? Who is this? It's so early..."

A steady, official-sounding voice immediately came from the other end, polite but carrying an unquestionable seriousness:

"Hello, we're from the National Talent Research Institute. We noticed that your registered talent is Omnipotent Talent, and we need to verify a few details with you. Would you be available to answer some questions? Of course, if you'd rather not disclose too much, we won't force you."

Xing Yao snapped awake, his heart sinking slightly, though his expression remained composed. He spoke slowly. "I can't disclose too much, so I'll only give you a brief explanation. Every time I advance a tier, I can unlock an entirely new talent, but advancing a tier isn't the only way I can awaken one-while leveling up, at some particular moment, or even through a chance encounter, I might suddenly awaken a new ability."

He paused, then presented a drawback in an even tone. "It's just that my talent has an obvious weakness. Ordinary people can awaken two skills each time they advance a tier, but I can only awaken one. And... the timing of those awakenings is extremely unpredictable."

The other end suddenly fell silent. A moment later, he clearly heard a sharp intake of breath that the caller couldn't suppress.

Only after a long while did the caller speak solemnly. "Thank you for sharing this information. Thank you for your cooperation."

The instant those words fell, the call abruptly disconnected, leaving only the cold, monotonous beep, beep- of the busy signal, exceptionally clear in the quiet room.

Just then, the voices of four clones suddenly exploded inside Xing Yao's mind, their remarks tumbling over one another. Their tones were as mocking as could be, their sarcasm dialed all the way up, full of that punchable air of spectators who never minded making a scene worse.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh~ Omnipotent Talent."

"Not bad, bro! You don't even need a rough draft to lie, and your acting was pretty convincing too. Respect, respect!"

"Exactly! You even went out of your way to invent flaws. Unpredictable awakenings, only one skill-you made it sound real!"

"Just saying, it'd be a waste not to write novels with that imagination. You really brought that omnipotent big shot to life!"

"You've been hiding your light under a bushel, Xing Yao. Never noticed it before, but you can spin up whole sets of lore without missing a beat. You're too good at this!"

Xing Yao paid no attention whatsoever to the chattering, sarcastic voices of the clones in his head, letting them all blow past his ears like the wind.

That was right. After that one time yesterday, he had already figured out the situation completely.

One skill allowed them to converse remotely.

Xing Yao stretched lazily, loosening his muscles and joints. A series of crisp cracks sounded through his bones, and all the fatigue of the night dissipated. He glanced around the room, his gaze calm and unruffled. There were still six full days before the secret realm opened.

Immediately afterward, four figures stepped out of his mental world one after another like streaks of light, appearing out of thin air inside the room. Their auras shared the same source as the original's, yet each possessed its own sharp edge.

One wore a big joker mask, one wore a little joker mask, and the other two wore the two of hearts and the two of diamonds respectively.

The four clones stood in entirely different poses, their bearing unrestrained and flamboyant. One had a hand in his pocket, his spine straight as a spear; another leaned against the wall, exuding a lazy yet dangerous air; another stood with his hands behind his back, his presence as deep and solid as a mountain; and another lightly tapped his toes, his nimbleness carrying a chilling killing intent. Though they merely stood there quietly, they seemed like four towering mountains barring the way, their presence crushing down in every direction, their dominance boundless. Their sharp auras seemed ready to tear apart all the air in the room.

Looking at the four clones deliberately striking cool, handsome poses and pretending to be unfathomable, Xing Yao immediately curled his lip and rolled his eyes in undisguised distaste. His voice was full of blunt criticism. "Enough. Stop putting on airs and holding those stiff poses. Is that fun? Every last one of you looks possessed by a drama queen. Who are you trying to scare with all that presence?"

He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping across the four distinctly styled playing-card masks. His voice was mild, yet carried unquestionable authority. "The secret realm opens in six days. Until then, stop spending all day on this flashy nonsense. Cultivate when you should, familiarize yourselves with your abilities when you should. Don't go into the secret realm only to drop the ball and drag everyone down."

At his words, most of the four clones' explosive dominance instantly collapsed. The oppressive presence they had deliberately created vanished without a trace, replaced by a hint of mockery and punchably casual nonchalance. Their imposing postures of a moment ago instantly became relaxed. Clearly, they had long since grown accustomed to the original's criticism.

He casually pulled over a nearby chair and sat down, leaning back slightly. His tone instantly turned serious, no longer teasing as it had been before, but offering genuine instructions and warnings.

"Let me make this clear right now. From now on, whether you're going out to train or operating outside, burn these three rules into your heads. Not a single one can be broken."

"First, every time you go out, you must remain invisible the entire time. Avoid exposing yourselves whenever possible. Don't let a little strength go to your heads. Keeping a low profile is always the first rule of survival. Don't give me any of that attention-grabbing nonsense."

"Second, even if your invisibility wears off and you're forced to reveal yourselves, you absolutely must not take off your masks outside. The big joker, the little joker, the two of hearts, and the two of diamonds-those four masks are your identities. Taking them off is the same as exposing your hidden cards. Understand? Don't get hotheaded and take off your masks to look cool, or you won't even know how you died."

"Third, and most importantly, whenever you can earn resentment points outside, go all out to earn them. Don't turn your noses up at small amounts, and don't be too lazy to move. Resentment is something you can't see or touch, but it can save your lives at a critical moment. Inside the secret realm, you'll depend on resentment even more to get by. Stockpiling a little extra certainly won't hurt."

At this point, Xing Yao's gaze sharpened as he swept his eyes over the four clones. His tone grew heavier as he directly exposed their little thoughts:

"Also, I'm warning you: stop thinking about showing off, looking cool, and acting aloof all day. You're clones, not influencers here to pose for attention. Take the act too far, and you'll only cause trouble, draw aggro, and invite death. If you really have strength, you don't need to strike poses. If you don't, all the posing in the world still makes you a joke."

"Outside, prioritize your missions, safety, and growth above everything else. Cut down on the flashy tricks. Don't be full of yourselves, don't get reckless, don't let things go to your heads, and don't court death."

"If something really does happen because you were showing off and breaking the rules, don't say I didn't warn you. Whoever drops the ball will bear the consequences himself."

After a pause, Xing Yao looked at the four of them and added something else, his tone carrying a measure of deeper meaning:

"Oh, right, one more thing. Each of you should prepare one or two extra masks as spares. Don't just keep the one on your face."

Three of the clones froze, clearly not understanding his intention. Just as they were about to ask, Xing Yao raised his hand and pointed straight at Clone No. 1, who wore the big joker mask, then spoke mildly:

"As for why you need spares, don't ask me. If you want to know the reason, just ask your dear big brother-Clone No. 1. He knows better than anyone."